Σημειώνοντας πάνω στα βιβλία
Όταν ήμουν μικρός τσάκιζα τις γωνίες των βιβλίων που διάβαζα για να θυμάμαι που έμεινα. Μετά άρχισα να χρησιμοποιώ σελιδοδείκτες και πρόσεχα τα βιβλία σαν κόρη οφθαλμών. Πιο μετά άρχισα τις υπογραμμίσεις με στυλό. Ακόμη πιο μετά έβλεπα αυτές τις υπογραμμίσεις κι ένιωθα σαν να «βίαζα» το βιβλίο κι επιπλέον σαν να υποχρέωνα τον μελλοντικό μου (σοφότερο) εαυτό να εστιάσει εκεί που εστίαζε ο νεότερος (και πιο άπειρος).
Ο Mortimer Adler το 1941 εξηγούσε γιατί δε χρειάζονται τύψεις.
Confusion about what it means to "own" a book leads people to a false reverence for paper, binding, and type -- a respect for the physical thing -- the craft of the printer rather than the genius of the author. They forget that it is possible for a man to acquire the idea, to possess the beauty, which a great book contains, without staking his claim by pasting his bookplate inside the cover. Having a fine library doesn't prove that its owner has a mind enriched by books; it proves nothing more than that he, his father, or his wife, was rich enough to buy them.
Τα τελευταία χρόνια το έχω γυρίσει στο μολύβι και άρχισα να χρησιμοποιώ μόνο τα περιθώρια. Μια απλή γραμμή δίπλα από μια πρόταση που μου έκανε εντύπωση. Μια σκέψη ή διαφωνία σε διάλογο με τον συγγραφέα. Ο μελλοντικός μου εαυτός χαίρεται όταν πετυχαίνει αυτές τις σημειώσεις γιατί είναι σαν να συνομιλεί με τον νεότερο.
[..] that is exactly what reading a book should be: a conversation between you and the author. Presumably he knows more about the subject than you do; naturally, you'll have the proper humility as you approach him. But don't let anybody tell you that a reader is supposed to be solely on the receiving end. Understanding is a two-way operation; learning doesn't consist in being an empty receptacle. The learner has to question himself and question the teacher. He even has to argue with the teacher, once he understands what the teacher is saying. And marking a book is literally an expression of differences, or agreements of opinion, with the author.
Όλο το κείμενο είναι πολύ όμορφο.
[..] you may say that this business of marking books is going to slow up your reading. It probably will. That's one of the reasons for doing it. Most of us have been taken in by the notion that speed of reading is a measure of our intelligence. There is no such thing as the right speed for intelligent reading. Some things should be read quickly and effortlessly and some should be read slowly and even laboriously.